I know they like natural bait but how natural

[wetnets]

When i fish for tench i allways use hemp , trout pellets , maggot and worm. should i use anything else.

[mithrandir]

I have had success with corn too, and depending on the venue small boilies

[Tyke]

Tench will take most baits. However, there is a strsnge tendency for different waters to develop a selective attitude towards what tench will or will not take. This is probably because other anglers have used these baits and the tench come to accept them as normal. However, if you find a quiet swim and feed it for a few days, with your chosen bait, I would be very surprised if the tench didn't develop a preferenc for your bait - what psychologists ( trick cyclists) call Classical Conditioning. There does seem to be a weight of evidence that suggests that tench , with the exception of worms, prefer a yellow coloured bait, hence yellow pellets and boilies have been very successful. Sweetcorn is also very good, but I find that I have to hair rig the corn to prevent small fish taking the single piece of corn. For a cheap bait, try bread paste flavoured and coloured with custard powder. Hope this helps.

[big pike dreamer]

Very Interesting Post Mate! I have Found In My Experiance The Vast Majority Of Tench I catch Is Via 2 Or 3 RED Maggots, Only Had A Couple On Sweetcorn, But Also I Have Found That In Each Water I Fish This Differs, For Example Sweetcorn In One Of My Water's Is Deadly And In Another I Regualy Fish They Wont Touch.

Matt

[BoldBear]

As has already been said their main preferences seem to depend on the water.

But my most consistant baits overall have been Breadflake, Sweetcorn, Casters, Redworms, luncheonmeat and Active-8 Pellets; with Active-8 pellets taking several of my biggest Tench but that may just be coincidence.

[Tyke]

Originally Posted by big pike dreamer

Very Interesting Post Mate! I have Found In My Experiance The Vast Majority Of Tench I catch Is Via 2 Or 3 RED Maggots, Only Had A Couple On Sweetcorn, But Also I Have Found That In Each Water I Fish This Differs, For Example Sweetcorn In One Of My Water's Is Deadly And In Another I Regualy Fish They Wont Touch.

Matt

You are absolutely right. I completely forgot to mention the humble maggot, but like you I find it has to be a red maggot. When fishing a new water, I try to find out what everyone else has been using as bait, because 90 % of the time that is what the tench have become accustomed to eating and until you can persuade the tench to take something else, it is probably the best short-term bet.

[NICK R]

The most natural bait that has produced tench for me is worm ( i don't class bread as a natural bait )
A natural bait being something that is found in their environment
The most unnatural bait has to be micro strawberry boilies followed by red sweetcorn

[Tyke]

Big Pike Dreamer and myself were responding to the implied question of 'Do tench need natural baits?' I agree that maggots are not natural baits nor is bread, but they both take large quantities of tench. The important issue is helping a young angler to catch more fish and on that basis, I will venture to suggest any legal bait that will help, natural or otherwise. If I have offended anyone or their ego in the process,by my lack of erudition or comprehension, then I apologise most profusely as that was not my intention.

[NICK R]

Originally Posted by NICK R

The most natural bait that has produced tench for me is worm ( i don't class bread as a natural bait )
A natural bait being something that is found in their environment
The most unnatural bait has to be micro strawberry boilies followed by red sweetcorn

edit which produces fish on a regular occurrence ( top baits imho)


If I have offended anyone or their ego in the process,by my lack of erudition or comprehension, then I apologise most profusely as that was not my intention.

Far from it i would say , some very good advice given Tyke

[wetnets]

Thanks guys. sorry for the late replys been away thankyou for the help and advice all very helpful. =)